That is the name of the newest member of the School Police Department that will help find missing and endangered children in Palm Beach County. The dog was donated by the Jimmy Ryce Center that donates bloodhounds to law enforcement departments across the nation.

Elementary schools were asked to help find a name for this furry officer and Ms. Pilotti’s 3rd grade class at Crosspointe Elementary was selected as the winner. They liked the name KASH but weren't sure how it would fit in with a police dog. “While the students were in their next class with Mr. Kindel, they discussed the puppy’s job of keeping kids safe and came up with the acronym,” said Mrs. Pilotti.

Officer Curtis Riddick and Kash will be stationed at Atlantic High School but after the canine completes all the necessary training to perform his job, they will be working across Palm Beach County.

The announcement about the name was personally made by Kash and Officer Riddick and when Dr. McKeever told the kids they had a special guest and they walked in the door with the puppy, their faces lit up and they were so excited to meet and play with KASH. "With a pooch as cute as KASH, what child wouldn't feel safe?" He's absolutely adorable, we all wanted to take him home” added Mrs. Pilotti.

“We are delighted with the positive feedback and support that the community has shown. The reaction on the students’ faces when they found out that the name they came up with was the chosen was priceless” said Lawrence Leon, Chief of School Police.

Bloodhounds are a type of hound that hunts by scent rather than sight and they are often referred at having some of the most sensitive noses among canines. “Their long ears help collect air and keep it near the face and nose and can discern human odors even days later, over great distances or across water,” said Officer Riddick, Kash’s handler.

On September 11, 1995, 9-year-old Jimmy Ryce was kidnapped at gunpoint from his school bus stop, sodomized, and shot as he was trying to escape. To free more children from the clutches of sexual predators, The Jimmy Ryce Center for Victims of Predatory Abduction was established in June of 1996, in honor of Jimmy's capacity to love unconditionally and his unquenched spirit in trying to get home even after hours of pain and humiliation. Jimmy's legacy is reflected in the words from Isaiah carved on his tombstone: "a little child shall lead them." For more information visit www.jimmyryce.org.